MOUNT COOK TRAGEDY

Grey River Argus, 11 June 1932, Page 6

MOUNT COOK TRAGEDY

EVIDENCE AT HEARING. TIMARU, June 9. That Wogan was frightened of guns was stated by one witness at the Court in the case in which William John Thomas Whalley is charged with the murder of William Wogan, at the Mt. Cook Heimitage. Sergeant Charles King, of ILk.i.k said he had known Wogan for nine years. He was of a particularly br'g.i disposition. Witness had never known him to do any shooting. Witness said he also knew the accused, whom he arrested on a charge of murder at Hokitika On April 18. The accused had then said “I have been expecting this.” Leslie Frazie n Tisdall, of Christchurch gave expert evidence concerning the rifle. He said that it was a reliable weapon and functioning quite well, although dirty. The trigger pu 1 was a littl e on the light side, but witness considered that there was no possibility of the rifle discharging by any means other than pressure on the trigger. Spent shells wer c ejected from the rifle immediately beneath and would fall in front of the person holding it. The shell would not bo thrown out with any great force. Thp witness said he had conducted tests by firing at blotting paper yesterday. From a range of ten and a half feet the punctures were clean, but at a range of two feet there were powder marks, which increased at shorter ranges, a shot fired point blank showing both birning and powder marks. Witness said that two fee( was the least range a t whi-h th rifle could be fired without Laving powder marks on the object struck. Witness said he tried to se.> how far away from his head h<» could ge; tlv muzzle of th*' rifle while pulling the t:igger himself. The furthest distance b.e could manage was four and a half inches, at which distance ther e w< u’d be powder marks left. Th * shape of the puncture in the object struck would show the direction from which the rifle was fired. Argyle John Hutchison, of Hokitika, a grocer’s assistant, said he had known Wogan for twenty years. The man was frightened of guns and would not hand'e them. Witness had never known him to go out shooting. Fiorence Johnson, pantrymaid, said sh ( > ;(‘membered Wogan asking ac u-er to come to his room to measure him for a pan - of t'ousers before 6 p.m. on November 5. After the shooting, <he had heard accused say that he loft Wogan sitting o n jhe chair at th ( » tim - 'd’ the accident. Myrtle Adstead, housemaid v next witness. She remembered Whalley saying in the staff room after the shooting that he had left Wogan sitting with the rifle between his knees. Witness could not b e su:•? whore Whallev said Wogan was sitting. Reginald Digbv Elms, a motor driver, said he knew Whalley an : Wogan we ,- e interested in horse racing. He had taken mon* v to a barman named Cun neon for them. On one occasion Whalley had asked witness to say he had taken some money down if Wogan should ask him.

Albert William Whitley, a motor mechanic, said that when he was driving for the Mount Cook Company he had taken £9 for Whalley to the man Cunneen last Labour week-end. John Henry Wear, companv director, of Christchurch, said he was staying at the Hermitage on November 5. W t ness said he was playing tennis with Wogan, who was in gooj spirits that afternoon. Shortly after 6 p.m.. witness said, he had been called to Wogan’s room. A man in a chef’s uniform was outside the door. Witnesssaw Wogan lying on th" bed and realised that he was in a bad way. Constable Andrew Mackintosh, of Fairl e. who had arrived at the Hermitage shortly after midnight on November 6 in response to a summons by telephon-', said the manager. Elms had taken witness to Wogan’s rooms. Witness described the appearance of Ihe loom. Wogan "'as lying o n the bed. clad *n the blood-stained c’othine produced. Th;? rifle was Iving on the settee. There was no blood on it. The rifle was of a type that ejected the shell at the feet of the man firing. Witness, himself, owned a rifle of the same type. Witness said he had found an empty shell under the bed. On the table in the room wore letters and a writing pad. There was also a box of cartridges in the room. The sum of £7 18s 9d was hidden in a boot.